Previews

Robotech: Invasion

We get some hands-on time with Robotech: Invasion at San Diego Comic Con. The level shown was fun and showed some nice variety.

Spiffy:

Super-cool vehicle; nice tie-in to the cartoon, comics, and toys; much different action from its predecessor.

Iffy:

The Cyclone is more limited than what's shown in the cartoon; have only played one level at this time.

Global Star showed off an updated version of Robotech: Invasion at San Diego Comic Con. Set in the world of The New Generation series, the game eschews the aerial combat of Robotech: Battlecry in favor of ground-and-pound action. Invasion features the Cyclone vehicle (a motorcycle that transforms into battle armor) and plays like a first-person action game. For more background information on the game, be sure to check out my initial preview. This time around I'll focus on my hands-on time with one of the game's levels.

Even though the game feels more natural when played in the first person, most of the people at Comic Con chose to play the game in the third person. I decided to give it a shot too. Though I was really comfortable in the first person, I saw what all the fuss was about with the pulled-back view. I'm a New Generation fanboy, so I really enjoyed seeing the Cyclone in all its glory. Going from motorcycle mode to battle armor and kicking off with a little boost left me in a gleefully geeky state. So, while action fans will probably play in the first person, Robotech fans will most likely play in the third.

The mission I played took place in the early stages of the game. Initially, I had to go from point to point to protect different groups of soldiers while the Synchro Cannon was being prepared. This part of the mission was fairly straightforward. After starting off in one camp and blowing up some Invid, I had to ride my way to the next camp and do the same. To change things up a bit, one of the camps had a turret for me to man. This allowed me to really stick it to the Invid scum.

Lonely soldier boy sends a cluster of rockets to an Invid.

After going from location to location in the forest, I came across a mountain pass where Invid soldiers were picking off my allies. This part of the game required me to use my sniping skills to take out faraway foes. I had to stay alert as other Invid troops were also patrolling the area. This portion was a nice mix of sniping and close-range combat.

Unfortunately, for my fellow Robotech Expeditionary Force soldiers and me, the Synchro Cannon malfunctioned. The next part of my mission required me to escort the cannon to a location where it could be repaired. This part of the game took place in a tight valley, which was a nice contrast to the open-ended forest of the previous stage. Like most escort missions, the convoy holding the Synchro Cannon had a health meter. If the meter became depleted then the mission would end in failure.